General Physics empowers energy company to improve performance

By Cathy Swirbul

General Physics, a Maryland-based training and technical service company, contends that successful companies focus unrelentingly on improving three things–their people, processes and technology. This principle holds true especially for companies in industries fraught with change, such as the power-generation industry.

These three interrelated elements directly affect the achievement of an organization's performance, cost management and compliance objectives, according to Tom Davis, General Physics' vice president of process and energy.

To help companies improve in these three areas, General Physics provides workforce development and training support, engineering services, performance software and on-line monitoring systems. The company employs about 1,800 employees who have expertise in performance-process improvement, professional training, systems integration, software design, and project management.

Power generation companies have turned to General Physics to:

• assess plant organization, training and procedure needs, personnel and overall operation. The company also will provide a comprehensive description of power plant components, systems and operations;
• develop operating procedures consistent with industry practices, manufacturers' recommendations, and ongoing or planned operating practices at the client's plant;
• provide experienced start-up engineers and plant operations specialists on site to assist with testing associated with construction and initial start-up of a power plant;
• develop performance-based programs to train and qualify operating personnel;
• provide chemistry training and services for degreed and non-degreed laboratory plant personnel;
• provide maintenance program development, management, organization, planning and training services; and
• provide standard preventive or corrective maintenance procedures that can be used to develop site-specific procedures.

General Physics is known nationally for its workforce training services. "General Physics was able to provide us with a cost-effective customized training solution," said Greg Walker, PG&E Generating Division's manager of technical learning. "We have found their staff to be knowledgeable and responsive to our needs."

General Physics also offers the following products for the power-generation industry:

• Core Skills—computer-based training for cross-training power plant personnel;
• EtaPRO™--power plant performance monitoring system;
• GPCALCS™--the performance engineer's toolbox;
• GPSteam™--steam properties calculator;
• Power Fundamentals™--computer-based training program for conventional and combined-cycle plants;
• Generic Fundamentals Training Material—training for nuclear power plant operators;
• PDMS—plant data management system; and
• TASKMASTER™--instructional data management system.

EtaPRO is one of the most widely used General Physics products by power producers. Entergy, a power generation, distribution and energy services company based in New Orleans uses the monitoring system to track power plant performance.

"EtaPRO's flexibility and General Physics' performance expertise led Entergy to select both for our Operations Information System," said Walt Irwin, senior staff engineer at Entergy. "General Physics' installed base also played a part in our decision. We found that people use the EtaPRO system."

Entergy also has relied on General Physics for computer-based training for its plant staff. "Core Skills computer-based training allows our plant workers to develop the cross-training skills that are required in today's fast-changing marketplace," said Kerney Brisco, a training specialist at Entergy.

The company's data-acquisition products also are widely used in the power industry. "Our research and experience led us to General Physics as a leader in data acquisition and transfer with substantial systems knowledge," said Joe Pieters, manager of combustion initiative at Alliant Energy Corporate Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation. "We had several General Physics' systems in our generating fleet, allowing us to have confidence in General Physics' products and services."

General Physics' client roster in the energy sector includes Duke Power, the New York Power Authority, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Commonwealth Edison, Northern Indiana Public Service Company, and Oglethorpe Power Corporation.

John McAuliffe, General Physics president, explained what sets the consulting firm apart from other companies. "We have had to differentiate ourselves from our competition with our size, our breadth of services, and most importantly, our international reach to be able to bring common processes throughout an organization," McAuliffe said. "In addition, the diversity of our services, including our engineering and technical services, has differentiated us from our competition."

Whether General Physics is helping a company strengthen workforce skills, improve processes or use technology effectively, the consulting firm's objective remains constant. "The top priority is really to go out there and be the best performance improvement company we can be," McAuliffe said.

The two most important power generation industry trends are increasing plant workforce performance and using new technologies to provide information for critical operating decisions, according to Tom Davis, General Physics' vice president of process and energy. General Physics, based in Columbia, Maryland, has built its energy-consulting business on these two trends. Davis provided insight into the company's evolution and how that tied to changes in the industry.

Q. What was the first product and service that General Physics offered when it began in 1966?

A. The first GP contracts involved high-level consulting for utility and government clients. One of our first tasks was to analyze a boiler explosion and make recommendations to ensure future problems did not occur. At that time, the company had five employees. The company expanded into technical workforce training within two years of its founding.

Q. What were some of the obstacles General Physics faced in its early development, and how were they overcome?

A. One of the early obstacles to growing General Physics was name recognition. The company had several very competent experts in the field, but was relatively unknown. It took several years for our reputation to spread through word of mouth. Today, we have more than 1,800 employees and 50 offices worldwide.

Q. How have the products and services your company provides changed over the years?

A. In the early years, our products and services tended to be more manpower intensive and narrowly focused. For example, workforce training was carried out very similar to how we went to high school—using knowledgeable instructors in a classroom setting, by on-the-job training, or by using self-study textbooks.

Today, technology-based training courses, such as courses offered through software or the Internet, are becoming more prevalent. This training mitigates costs and transfers learning at a variable pace to suit individual needs in vastly spread geographic locations. Classroom and on-the-job training are still important, but so is technology-based training if we expect to stay current with the fast changing environment of the modern power plant.

Q. Currently, what is your top-selling product for the power generation industry, and what does that reveal about the industry?

A. Our best selling products are our EtaPRO™ Performance Monitoring System and our Core Skills CBT courses. EtaPRO is a monitoring system, used enterprise-wide to provide critical information needed to maximize the availability, capacity and efficiency of equipment and facilities. Our Core Skills Computer-Based Training is a 600-hour training program that helps clients create a more versatile, multi-skilled workforce by cross-training their operations and maintenance personnel. With today's deregulated environment, each power producer is looking for ways to be more competitive by cutting costs, yet still have a highly skilled workforce to operate and maintain facilities.

Q. What is currently your most widely used service by the power generation industry and why?

A. A large number of our customers use our consulting services to improve power-plant performance based on increased availability, capacity and efficiency. In addition, we have numerous professionals who develop site-specific operating procedures at hundreds of plants across the U.S. and internationally. Power companies are having trouble attracting and retaining experienced employees, so standardizing operations is very important.

Q. Describe the culture within your organization.

A. General Physics has a diverse, dynamic, and entrepreneurial culture. We feel that the best solutions for our clients require input from many different types of people. We often staff a project with subject-matter experts, computer programmers and instructional technologists.

Q. What differentiates General Physics from other companies doing similar work?

A. First, we are a full-scope provider of products and services to improve power generating facility operations. These products and services integrate state-of-the-art technologies in workforce development, as well as thermal performance. Second, General Physics has a proven record with 35 years in the business and many experienced professionals. We have more than 1,800 employees who are focused on our customers and have a track record of satisfied energy clients.

Q. When did you join the company and what is your background?

A. I joined General Physics in 1984. My background includes nine years as an officer in the Navy's nuclear submarine force, and five years as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense and the commercial power industry. During my 17 years at General Physics, I have directed several groups providing workforce development and engineering services to the power industry and governmental agencies.

Q. How would you describe your leadership style?

A. I lead by example. I expect our workforce to always act with the highest integrity. I expect General Physics employees to embrace our corporate values of how we treat our customers, our fellow employees and the needs of the organization. Last of all, I believe we can never rest in the pursuit of upgrading our skills and knowledge, regardless of our position in the organization.

Q. Describe what you envision General Physics to be five years from now.

A. The next five years will be extremely exciting due to the rapidly changing marketplace. There will be continued growth and renewed opportunities at General Physics as we increasingly become the resource of choice for the major players in the power business. We are confident that General Physics' employees will lead our customers to better solutions for the many challenges that lay ahead.

We will continue to improve our products and services to enhance the workforce skills of our customers, provide software solutions to improve decision-making, and bring in best practices for the industry. We will be a much stronger player in the years to come as our power generating customers recognize that the capabilities of their workforce, and the availability of decision support information, will be the prime differentiators between them and their competition.

About the author: Swirbul specializes in writing for the power industry, as well as for business-to business and business-to-consumer Web sites. Her work regularly appears on Power Online and ElectricNet, a VerticalNet community for the transmission and distribution industry. To read more of Swirbul's contributions, click on the links below. She can be reached at cswirbul@unicom.net.)

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